A R Rahman’s Concert Nightmare Exposed: Overcrowding, Chaos, and Harassment!

Discover the shocking truth behind A R Rahman’s concert chaos in Chennai! Overcrowding, traffic nightmares, and reports of harassment unfold in this eye-opening investigation. Get the full story now!

After the chaotic scenes that unfolded during A R Rahman’s ‘Marakkuma Nenjam’ concert in Chennai on Sunday, law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation into alleged mismanagement that led to overcrowding and severe traffic congestion on the East Coast Road, located south of the city.

The concert, which attracted tens of thousands of attendees to the Adityaram Palace City venue, turned into a logistical nightmare. Many ticket-holders were unable to gain entry due to overcrowding, and there were disturbing reports of harassment against women.

On Monday, Tamil Nadu Director General of Police, Shankar Jiwal, instructed the Tambaram City Police Commissioner to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the incident. The DGP has tasked the Commissioner with determining the causes of overcrowding and traffic congestion, as well as evaluating the overall preparations made by the event organizers. The Commissioner has also been instructed to take measures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.

A. R. Rahman resorted to social media to urge individuals who purchased tickets but were unable to attend due to mismanagement to air their grievances. “Dearest Chennai Makkale, those of you who purchased tickets but were unable to enter due to unfortunate circumstances, please share a copy of your ticket purchase with [email protected] along with your grievances,” he said. Our staff will get back to you as soon as possible.”

The chaos has led to accusations of inadequate planning against the event managers, ACTC Events.

Tambaram Police Commissioner A. Amalraj informed The Indian Express that the police investigation is underway.”We have received numerous complaints about the organization of the event and how ticket holders were denied entry.” We are now investigating with the organizers to discover why ticket holders were not appropriately accommodated. If the venue’s capacity is roughly 25,000, organizers should have sold tickets for around 20,000 or close to capacity, rather than surpassing 35,000-40,000, according to the Commissioner.

He also mentioned that insufficient parking arrangements were among the major concerns raised by concert-goers, and the police are looking into this matter.

Regarding reports of women being harassed at the concert, he stated that the police had not yet received any such complaints but would take action if any were lodged.

ACTC Events responded to the incident on social media, calling the event a “massive success” but also apologizing for the congestion. “Grateful to Chennai and the legendary A R Rahman sir!” they wrote. The large crowd and the fantastic reception made our concert a huge success. We apologize to those who were unable to attend due to overcrowding. We accept full responsibility and hold ourselves accountable. We stand behind you. #MarakkumaNenjam.”

An officer of the Tambaram City Police explained, “The concert’s venue, located far from the city, required attendees to drive, resulting in a massive influx of vehicles, far beyond what the organizers had anticipated… The overselling of tickets and poor crowd management appear to be the primary reasons for the chaos.” The officer added that the event managers lacked the necessary manpower and a plan to handle the crowd, resulting in confusion both inside and outside the venue.

Many attendees, including those who purchased expensive tickets, expressed their frustration at being unable to reach the concert venue. Parking spaces were situated too far away, and the entry queues stretched for over a kilometre.

Prior to Sunday’s event, the concert had already been rescheduled once last month due to rain.